Fort Payne, AL

Census Place

2024 Population

14,927

US Senator

Tommy Tuberville

Republican Party

US Senator

Katie Britt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

37.4

4.83% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

32.5%

38.4% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$47,479

2.35% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$157,000

Population & Diversity

Fort Payne, AL is home to a population of 14.9k people, from which 92.4% are citizens.

As of 2024, 9.34% of Fort Payne, AL residents were born outside of the country (1.39k people).

In 2024, there were 5.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.7k people) in Fort Payne, AL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.09k Other (Hispanic) and 614 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.4%

2024 Citizenship

92.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 92.4% of Fort Payne, AL residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Fort Payne, AL was 92.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Fort Payne, AL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Fort Payne, AL

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.7k ± 855
Other (Hispanic)
2.09k ± 815
White (Hispanic)
614 ± 601

23.7%

Hispanic Population

3.54k people

23.7% of the people in Fort Payne, AL are hispanic (3.54k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Fort Payne, AL as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Alabama.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
53,867 ± 5,668 people
Guatemala
18,373 ± 3,322 people
Korea
11,536 ± 2,634 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Alabama was Mexico, the natal country of 53,867 Alabama residents, followed by Guatemala with 18,373 and Korea with 11,536.

Foreign-Born Population

9.34%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.39k people

10.1%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.5k people

As of 2024, 9.34% of Fort Payne, AL residents (1.39k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Fort Payne, AL was 10.1%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Fort Payne, AL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
231 ± 128
Gulf War (2001-)
208 ± 112
Gulf War (1990s)
45 ± 36

Fort Payne, AL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.11 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Fort Payne, AL.

Economy

The economy of Fort Payne, AL employs 6.17k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Fort Payne, AL were Manufacturing (1,273 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (767 people), and Other Services, Except Public Administration (675 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($65,388), Educational Services ($56,671), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($47,321).

Employment

Occupations

6.17k

2024 Value

± 684

−2.85%

1 Year decline

± 15.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fort Payne, AL declined at a rate of −2.85%, from 6.35k employees to 6.17k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Fort Payne, AL, are Production Occupations (801 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (683 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (523 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Fort Payne, AL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Alabama.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Alabama (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

6.17k

2024 Value

± 684

−2.85%

1 Year decline

± 15.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fort Payne, AL declined at a rate of −2.85%, from 6.35k employees to 6.17k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Fort Payne, AL, are Manufacturing (1,273 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (767 people), and Other Services, Except Public Administration (675 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Fort Payne, AL, though some of these residents may live in Fort Payne, AL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$36,987

Median earning men ± $5,744

$29,360

Median earning women ± $6,455

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($81,375), Wholesale Trade ($66,207), and Manufacturing ($64,258).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($43,875), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($37,961), and Manufacturing ($37,912).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Fort Payne, AL was $157,000 in 2024, which is 0.472 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $158,100 to $157,000, a 0.696% decrease. The homeownership rate in Fort Payne, AL is 69.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Fort Payne, AL have an average commute time of 17.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Fort Payne, AL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$157,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,970

$3,827

Median Property Taxes

±$503

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Fort Payne, AL the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Fort Payne, AL compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

69.3%

Homeownership

2024

68.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.3% of the housing units in Fort Payne, AL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 67.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Fort Payne, AL compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$47,479

Median Household Income

± $7,304

5.52k

Number of Households

± 589

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.52k households in Fort Payne, AL declined from $47,479 from the previous year's value of $48,623.

The following chart displays the households in Fort Payne, AL distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $50k - $60k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Fort Payne, AL is from Alabama.

0.454

2024 Wage GINI in Alabama

0.456

2023 Wage GINI in Alabama

In 2024, the income inequality in Alabama was 0.454 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.411% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Alabama was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Alabama in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Alabama across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (78.3%)
Carpooled (12.2%)
Worked At Home (7.2%)

In 2024, 78.3% of workers in Fort Payne, AL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.2%) and those who worked at home (7.2%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

17.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Fort Payne, AL have a shorter commute time (17.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.788% of the workforce in Fort Payne, AL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Fort Payne, AL compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Fort Payne, AL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Fort Payne, AL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

32.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Fort Payne, AL (4.71k out of 14.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females < 5, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Fort Payne, AL is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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